Be Covered for Everything

Rather ironically, relaxing takes work. Even a do-nothing vacation of cozying up to your Kindle on an uneventful island requires figuring out what to wear for your days in the sun. One garment, however, can help curtail the indecision.
Consider the caftan. “Caftans can be worn on the beach or poolside and then later, perhaps over that same bikini, while you’re having a cocktail at a restaurant,” said Winnie Beattie, owner of Manhattan resort-wear boutique Warm, which offers a variety of loose, wanderlusty styles.
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Stir Up a Quick Quencher

Stir Up a Quick Quencher

Keep intensely tasty sharbat syrups in the refrigerator all summer long to make cooling drinks on demand

There's no better way to complete a trip to Tehran’s nearly 1,500-feet-tall Milad Tower than with a stop at the on-site tea house. The array of brilliantly colored fruit syrups on offer rivals the observatory’s 360-degree views of the city and the snow-capped Alborz mountains beyond. Known as sharbat, this category of vivid fruit essence, served over ice and topped with chilled water, was created to cool the body in desert heat and takes the edge off a sultry afternoon anywhere.
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Drink Without Forgetting

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Drink Without Forgetting

Ever wonder why after a party of 10 people, 30 glasses need washing? The answer lies in this scenario: A guest sets down a drink to eat a mini onion tart, then realizes he can’t tell his glass from the five around it, necessitating another trip to the bar…and a fresh glass. Saving hosts the indignity of offering wineglass charms, 11th-generation crystal scion Maximilian Riedel debuts a summer spin on his stemless “O” series wine tumblers. The glasses’ jewel-colored bottoms—in red, orange, turquoise and purple—give imbibers a better shot at identifying their glasses out of a lineup. Happy O Vol. 2, $69 for four 12-oz. glasses, riedelusa.net —Jackie Cooperman

Skip Your Gem Routine

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Skip Your Gem Routine

The daily drill of donning and doffing jewelry is, admittedly, not much of a chore. Still, it’s far better to put on a discreet piece and be able to forget about it for weeks at a time. One (or even two) of these delicate diamond solitaire necklaces could be a fine, if fleeting, pal for June through August. Though the gems are tiny, they offer a flashing glimmer of sparkle, like a shooting star. Best of all, the whole thing is so light, you’ll barely know it’s there. Necklaces, $295 each, vraiandoro.com

Stargaze Like a Slacker

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Stargaze Like a Slacker

If you don’t know much about astronomy, using a telescope to scan the vast night sky for stars or planets can be a frustrating endeavor. For those disinclined to attempt it, this mechanized model makes stargazing much easier. A calibration process is required: Enter your location and the time into a hand-held computer, and center a star (suggested by the telescope) in the field of view. After that, you can command the telescope to point automatically at a multitude of celestial attractions, from planets to constellations to well-known stars. For example, select “Saturn” from a series of menus, and the telescope will swivel and lock in on the ringed planet. The Automatic Star Aligning Telescope, $350, hammacher.com

Launder Languidly

LG

Launder Languidly

Repeated trips to the dry cleaner are a drag anytime, but especially so when your highest ambition is to lie motionless under a tree. Besides, subjecting a linen dress—which you wore for only a few hours—to an elaborate chemical rigmarole is overkill. To refresh gently worn clothes with only a modicum of effort, try hanging them in the LG Styler (shown closed and open). Designed to sit in a walk-in closet (no plumbing required), this appliance uses a combination of steam and a touch of heat to eliminate odors and relax subtle wrinkles. A bar for hanging up garments like shirts and dresses will give clothes a gentle shake while the Styler works its magic. A special spot on the door for pants aims to help them maintain their crisp crease. $1,999, lg.com

Stay Above the Fold

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Stay Above the Fold

“Loafer.” The very word connotes determined leisure. Yet standard loafers don’t rate when it comes to true sloth. Ermenegildo Zegna’s espadrille-inspired slip-on, meanwhile, is engineered with a fold-down back to transform it from a proper shoe to something resembling a pool slide. On lethargic mornings when sleep is heavy on your lids, just slip your foot right over the back. No taxing heel-wriggling required. Espadrilles, $495, zegna.com

Return to the Womb, Acceptably

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Return to the Womb, Acceptably

No couch could be more coddling than a hammock—part cradle, part papoose, yet sanctioned for adults. “It’s the best place to relax, dream and imagine,” said Lula Mena, designer of this particular sling. It hails from Santiago Texacuangos, in her native El Salvador, where artisans weave her visions to life on traditional wooden looms. Sturdy textiles can frequently feel un-cozy, but the locally sourced cotton used here—each thread comprising four strands—accounts for the soft texture of this notably hefty hammock (9 pounds for the 8-foot-long version). Sixty-eight tassels line its sides, bobbing gently as you sway from sunshine into shade without interrupting your reverie. Cotton Hammock, from $300, lulamena.com. —Jesse Bratter Chait

Fany Gerson's Summer Guilty Pleasure

Fany Gerson's Summer Guilty Pleasure

“To be honest, it’s my busiest season so I don’t get to be that lazy. But when I can, I love to just lie down in the park—any park—on the grass, ideally with friends, music, food and mezcal.”
–Fany Gerson, Maker of frozen confections and author of ’Mexican Ice Cream’ (Ten Speed Press, June 13)

Talk Through Your Hat

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Talk Through Your Hat

At its simplest and purest, summer dressing soothes the soul. The quintessential white T-shirt tucked into cream jeans. A clean, cottony shirtdress that doesn’t make a ruckus. If you want to stylishly puncture that austerity, however, the easiest solution is a hat—whether it’s trimmed with pompoms or crafted of straw in a popsicle hue. You get charm, levity and, oh yes, shade in one fell swoop.
From left: Madeleine Hat, $198, trade-mark.com; Mercedes Salazar Hat, $176, revolve.com; Taya Hat, $460, gigiburris.com

Seize on the Season of the Agreeable Wine

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Illustration by Ewa Mos

Seize on the Season of the Agreeable Wine

What’s the best bottle for a languid summer day? What wine pairs well with picnics and pools and games of beach volleyball? I took the laziest route possible in coming up with answers, punting these questions to seven top wine professionals with impeccable taste. They responded with summery reds, whites and rosés produced in wine regions all over the world. I did not, however, shirk my wine-columnist duties altogether; I bought each one of their recommendations and tasted them with friends. None of the picks are particularly expensive or hard to find, and they are all incredibly, joyfully easy to drink.
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Stroll, Swim, Sup, Repeat

Francesco Lastrucci for The Wall Street Journal

Stroll, Swim, Sup, Repeat

Visitors won’t find much to do in Piran, a Slovenian seaside town, but its relentless pleasantness is addictive

It took Rok Vogric seven days to propose marriage to me. Red-faced, gold-bearded and exuberant, Rok—one of the waiters at Pirat restaurant in Piran, a pastel-colored Baroque town of 4,000 on Slovenia’s Adriatic coast—had gotten used to my daily lunchtime order: a warm seafood stew of net-fresh mussels and clams, thick with garlic and wine, known as buzara; and sautéed bietola (chard). If I agreed to marry him, he insisted, he would grow bietola fields in my honor. He knew I was a city girl, he said, unused to village life. “But here in Piran, we are a city in a village.” Over time, this border-town has been Venetian, Austro-Hungarian, Yugoslavian, Slovene and, briefly, Napoleonic French.
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Catch a 5-Star Wave

Soneva

Catch a 5-Star Wave

What beats a fly-and-flop resort? A fly-and-flop resort that moves. These top hotel brands float their own boats

-Soneva, Maldives: Soneva operates two lavish resorts in the Maldives. Serious divers or novice snorkelers who aren’t content to loll about their bungalows can opt for a one- to three-day cruise through the sealife-rich Baa Atoll aboard the hotels’ 63-foot-long yacht, Soneva in Aqua (pictured). The crew includes a chef and yoga/tai chi instructor. soneva.com-The Strand, Myanmar: Yangon’s fabled hotel, the Strand, a lacquer and teakwood remnant from Myanmar’s colonial era, now boasts its own 28-cabin river boat. The Strand Cruise, inaugurated in 2016, sails the Irrawaddy between Mandalay and Bagan, docking near temples, pagodas and monasteries. hotelthestrand.com-Aman Resorts, Indonesia Aman Resorts’ five-cabin Amandira explores Komodo National Park and the Raja Ampat Islands on five- and seven-night cruises. Built by Konjo craftsmen to Aman’s fastidious specs, the two-masted vessel sets sail from Moyo Island, a seaside jungle encampment with luxury tents and an open-air spa. aman.com —Sara Tucker

Do Try It At Home

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Do Try It At Home

Few tasks trigger dread like shopping for a bathing suit in public. Direct-to-consumer brands let you flee the fitting room for the sales-associate-free zone of your bedroom. Our favorite: Andie, which ships you the three one-piece styles in its debut swim collection to try on. Co-founders Tess de Paula and Melanie Travis designed the collection after surveying hundreds of women on the best fits and fabrics. Only keep what works and send back the rest. Swim suits, $105-$125, andieswim.com—Lauren Ingram

Nap Commandingly

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Nap Commandingly

Anyone who is serious about napping knows that all white noise is not created equal. At one end of the spectrum is the tinny shhh that smartphone white-noise apps emit. At the other end, the rich, soporific whooooooshhhh of the Snooz. A whirring fan inside the gizmo produces full-bodied sound as loud as 71 dBA (measured from 2 feet away). Unlike a table fan, the Snooz moves barely any air, so you won’t catch a chill while you slumber. It also uses very little electricity (from 1.2 to 5.4 watts, depending on which of the 10 power settings you choose). A companion app lets you control the Snooz from the far side of your king-size bed—but ideally you’ll be too drowsy to use it. $79, getsnooz.com

Grow Self-Reliant Edibles

Grow Self-Reliant Edibles

The effort of maintaining even a small garden has been compared with that of husbanding a pet. Slack off on your green-thumb duties, and your plants will shrivel in reproach. Those who want to avoid such horticultural indignity can keep fresh ingredients at arm’s length sans effort or guilt with the Smart Garden 3. Choose from 37 varieties of flowering plants, herbs and edibles, like wild strawberry (right), slot the seeded soil capsules, set it and you can (mostly) forget it. A built-in timer ensures the overhead LED lamp—which supplements natural rays—provides 16 hours of light each day. The 40-ounce water reservoir hydrates your greenery, alerting you when it’s time to refill (about once a month). $100, clickandgrow.com. —Kelly Michèle Guerotto

Brew Without Brouhaha

Brew Without Brouhaha

Many beer hobbyists have long banished their infuriatingly complex homebrew setups to basements and garages, where the cumbersome tubes and kettles are just collecting dust. Seattle-based company PicoBrew has brought homebrewing into the light—indeed, right onto the kitchen counter—with the fully automatic Pico Pro appliance. Use the dozens of brewery-sanctioned recipe kits, or design your own if you’re the tinkering type. Pico Pro produces handmade, super-fresh suds with the push-button ease of a Mr. Coffee. It looks way cooler than your KitchenAid and can brew kombucha and cook sous-vide, too. Still unconvinced? A new, even more streamlined and affordable iteration, the Pico Model C, hits shelves this fall.
$800 for the Pico Pro, $550 for the Pico Model C (available for pre-order), picobrew.com—William Bostwick

Let Your Car Do (Most of) the Driving

Peter Oumanski

Let Your Car Do (Most of) the Driving

Americans aren’t lazy behind the wheel. Actually, we’re quite industrious. We text, we eat, we read, we yak on the phone and put on makeup, but let’s leave me out of it. That is why autonomy—the emerging science of self-piloting automobiles—will be good for everybody: good for these heedless over-achievers and good for those who might be in their way.
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Shine On and On

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Shine On and On

Long-wear nail polish without a prolonged salon visit? It does exist. A recent innovation: lasting-color gel formulas that can be used at home—or on the go—like Butter’s Patent Shine 10X, Essie’s Gel Couture polish and Deborah Lippmann’s Gel Lab Pro. Ms. Lippmann recommends waiting two minutes between applications and adding an extra layer a day later for more protection
From left: “Cake by the Ocean,” $20, deborahlippmann.com; “Smashing," $18, butterlondon.com; “Perfect Posture," $12, essie.com—Lauren Ingram

Piet Oudolf's Summer Guilty Pleasure

Piet Oudolf's Summer Guilty Pleasure

“In the summer I read thrillers like ‘Ragdoll,’ by Daniel Cole and ‘The Girl on the Train,’ by Paula Hawkins, but I rarely feel guilty about the pleasure of reading.” —Piet Oudolf Garden designer and author, with Rick Darke, of ‘Gardens of the High Line’ (Timber Press)

Grill Sloppily

Grill Sloppily

Between Alexa and self-driving cars, it seems the robots are taking over—a boon for the indolent. Add the Grillbot to the list and rest assured, cleanup after your next barbecue will be taken care of. This adorable automatic grill cleaner toddles around the greasy grate, scouring away with its wire brushes, propelled by three high-power electric motors and guided by a clever CPU chip that controls direction and speed. The brushes pop right out and into the dishwasher for easy cleaning; the lithium ion battery is rechargeable; and the LCD alarm and timer allow you to program different cleaning times depending on the state of the grate. Think of it as your barbecue butler. $130, grillbots.com

Cast Off All Responsibility

Eleven Experience

Cast Off All Responsibility

The guides at Taylor River Lodge—a secluded, coddling six-cabin wilderness retreat just outside of Crested Butte, Colo.—are more like fly-fishing butlers, standing by to outfit guests in top-of-the-line Simms waders and equip them with locally made fly rods. As novices warm up on a trout-stocked pond and experienced anglers cast on a semi-private stretch of the Taylor River, guides are available to recommend the precise flies to lure the fish. Say the word and they’ll do the heavy lifting—bait, cast, untangle lines, reel in your trophy rainbow. They will supply you with a cooler stocked with coconut water and local session IPAs from Irwin Brewing Company, or pack your poison of choice. Later, while you’re busily occupied with riverside picnics and post-fishing massages, they’ll put away the tackle and hang your fishing kit outside your cabin door ($860 per person a night, including meals, elevenexperience.com). —Jen Murphy

Pop Up a Rocket

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Pop Up a Rocket

Invest 15 minutes assembling this recycled-cardboard playhouse, prop it up on the beach or in the yard, and your work for the day is done. “My kids play in it for hours,” said Catherine McCallum, who stocks the rocket at her store 2 More Heads, in Edinburgh, Scotland. “It’s been used as a rocket, a cafe, an office, a hideout.” Designed by Dutch firm Studio Roof, it comes flat-packed in four pieces (no tools required for assembly), stands 4.5 feet high and is recommended for promising astronauts age 3 and up. When the playhouse is indoors, it can morph into a storage bin: Just toss scattered toys through its door. Casa Cabana Rocket, about $55, 2moreheads.co.uk —Catherine Dash

Roll Merrily Along

Trek

Roll Merrily Along

Confession: I thought “e-bikes”—with their electric motors to give riders a boost while pedaling—were for weenies. How hard is it to ride a bicycle? But after a weekend with Trek’s Super Commuter+ 8S, I’m seeing the future.
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Chill Beer Without Breaking a Sweat

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Chill Beer Without Breaking a Sweat

Coolers, quite thoughtfully, let you haul frosty beverages just about anywhere. There’s just one problem: You need to keep refilling them with ice. This rugged option goes a long way to eliminating that tedium. With 2-inch-thick refrigerator-grade insulation injected into its walls, the Venture 45 can maintain ice for up to 14 days, according to its manufacturer. Other points in its favor: The cooler has passed bear-resistance certification and can survive being ejected from the back of a pickup truck going 45 mph should your tailgate give way. A sloped base and drain plug allow for easy emptying. Accessories that will endear it to the slothful include a clip-on bottle opener (complimentary) and a cushy seat pad (available soon). $350, otterbox.com

Get the Hang of It

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Get the Hang of It

It’s a summer day, gorgeous yet insistently sunny, when you look down, check your pockets and discover your beloved sunglasses are gone. Now, you either have to retrace your steps (Did you leave them in the Uber? Will you have to tip the driver $50 to return them?) or accept that they’re forever lost in the Land of Misplaced Shades. No more. Just slide Reggie Holder’s waterproof sunglass straps onto your aviators’ temples and let your specs hang free when you’re not wearing them. You avoid the bother of finding a safe place to stash them—and the tedium and expense of buying replacement pairs.
Sunglasses, $340, garrettleight.com; Reggie Holder Strap, $32, mohawkgeneralstore.com

Sid Mashburn's Summer Guilty Pleasure

Sid Mashburn's Summer Guilty Pleasure

“Sundays are really my one day to lazily indulge. I throw some swim trunks on, lotion up and walk 20 steps from the back door to my pool. I make sure the radio is tuned to FIP (a French Jazz station), which is super relaxing because I don’t speak any French, so I don’t have to worry about what they’re saying. I’ll do half of the crossword puzzle, then I’ll nod off until I’m burning, wake up, jump in the pool and do it all over again.”—Sid Mashburn, Chief executive officer and designer, Sid Mashburn

Go Easy On the Noodles

Go Easy On the Noodles

Pasta salad lightens up nicely with a reduced carbs-to-crunch ratio. And there’s no more obliging dish to devise on a moment’s notice

A forgiving dish, pasta salad. Chances are, you have the makings of a respectable one in the fridge right now, ready to be thrown together without undue contrivance.
Forgiving is not the word I’d apply to the Italian approach to pasta. Years ago, while watching me prepare a seafood risotto, a Milanese friend was appalled at the abundance of shrimp, clams and calamari I enthusiastically included. She insisted that, when made correctly, her country’s rice and pasta dishes were all about the starch; any other ingredient was there merely to provide nomenclature and a bit of variety. Duly shamed, I followed her directive for years afterward.
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Camp Like a Champ

EXP Journeys

Camp Like a Champ

Thanks to the National Park Service’s centennial celebration, 2016 was a record year for park visitors—and nabbing a spot at a popular lodge or campground likely won’t be any easier this summer. A workaround: your own private campsite, assembled soup-to-nuts by bespoke travel company EXP Journeys, which specializes in glamping excursions in and around the U.S. national parks. Arrive to find roomy tents with queen-size beds, a hot shower, an actual toilet plus a chef and a guide. Not cushy enough? EXP airlifted one set of friends to the top of 1,800-foot Tower Butte at Lake Powell (pictured), where the staff had assembled an elaborate juice bar. Another group, prepared to work slightly harder, joined paleontologists on a dig near Utah’s Escalante to unearth Tyrannosaurus rex fossils. From $650 per person per night, expjourneys.com —Kelly Michèle Guerotto

Get Walloped by a Lounge Chair

uDiva

Get Walloped by a Lounge Chair

Why wait for a visit to a nail salon or airport terminal to submit to the ministrations of a massage chair? This compact model—handsome enough to grace your living room—does more than jiggle. Using mechanically manipulated balls and rollers embedded in its back, the seat will gamely knead, tap and dig into trigger points along your neck, shoulders and upper and lower back. The footrest flips out to reveal two compartments; slide in your feet and calves, and the contraption will squeeze your lower legs in a wavelike pattern while rollers invigorate the soles of your feet. All you do is sit there and discreetly moan. uDiva Classic Massage Sofa, $2,499, us.osim.com

Rock—and Hold the Rye

Rock—and Hold the Rye

Six attractively unambitious ways to while away a day, paired with recipes for cool drinks that won’t leave your head spinning

Grandma knew that when the mercury climbs, no activity (and we use the word loosely) relieves like swaying in a rocking chair with your hand cupping a cool ice tea. With contemporary chair designers offering new takes on the classic form, this old-fashioned summer pleasure needn’t be fusty, however—neither in terms of the seat nor the restorative, booze-free drink in your paw. Here are six fresh rockers we’d love to laze about in, plus a thirst quencher to match each model’s style.
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Live and Let Dry

Margaret Durow/Trunk Archive

Live and Let Dry

Skip the hair-dryer, and leave wet tresses to the breeze...strategically

In the throes of summer heat, few beauty rituals are more masochistic than blow-drying your hair. And with the humidity index at its highest, trying to achieve smooth, straight locks can be futile. But the alternative, air-drying, comes with its own frustrations and risks. The following strategies—easier than daily blow-drying, we swear—make it less of a gamble.
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Dave Navarro's Summer Guilty Pleasure

Dave Navarro's Summer Guilty Pleasure

“For me, it’s shutting all the curtains and binge watching true-crime documentaries in the middle of the day. The sun causes aging and cancer. BBQs are filled with fatty foods, and drunk humans are generally awful. Needless to say, I feel very little guilt about my lazy summer choices.” -Dave Navarro, Host of Spike’s “Ink Master”

Rustle Up Some Grub—From a Can

Rustle Up Some Grub—From a Can

Ah, the romance of the open range. The truth is, driving cattle was hard work, so cowboys kept things simple at chow time. Old-school cream-can cooking called for sealing ingredients in a metal container with a good dousing of beer or other liquid for steaming over a fire. The CanCooker Jr., updated in anodyzed aluminum with a non-stick interior, accommodates eight servings of vegetables, sausages, seafood or whatever you hanker for at a camp-out or beach bonfire. $60, cancooker.com

Samantha Brown's Summer Guilty Pleasure

Samantha Brown's Summer Guilty Pleasure

“At 4 o’clock, when the cicadas are creating their summer buzz, instead of a cup of motivational coffee and more work, I sit down to peruse a large stack of mail-order catalogs—Boden, Guideboat, J. Peterman, Sundance, Garnet Hill—with a glass of chilled Vermentino.” –Host of PBS’s ‘Samantha Brown’s Places to Love,’ coming in early 2018

Don't Get Hosed By Your Annuals

Kathryn Coyle

Don't Get Hosed By Your Annuals

Eager for color in your garden but loath to commit to regular watering? Try these drought-resistant beauties

Whether ffrom neglect, lack of rain or water-use restrictions, many plants end their days a sorry mess: brown and brittle in parched patio containers or desiccated in balcony planters.
You could reconcile yourself to low-moisture stalwarts like cactus and succulents. Hens and chicks and their relations do have a certain rubbery, glaucous charm. But what if you truly desire leafy, bloom-covered plants, and doubt you can commit to their water requirements?
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Break Out the Paper

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Break Out the Paper

“How would the word ‘dreamy’ be converted into functional tableware art?” Designer Gloria Wong Tritasavit answered her own question with paper cups, plates and napkins adorned with watercolor-inspired patterns. They’re the latest collection for Harlow & Grey, a San Francisco-based party-supplies brand she co-founded with cousin Jeanne Chan in 2016. ”Dreamy” applies both to the graphics—painterly pastel strokes detailed with gold-foil—and the piece-of-cake cleanup. Daydream Plates, from $6 for eight, and Cocktail Napkins, $7 for 20, harlowandgrey.com —Catherine Dash

Buy a Buoyant Bag

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Buy a Buoyant Bag

Scientists won’t agree but we’re convinced everything gets heavier in oppressive summer heat. If you’re switching from a leather bag to a canvas one to ease your schlepping burden, why not go a step further? This drawstring tote from Los Angeles designer Clare V. is made of a nylon, linen and taffeta blend that’s light as a meringue—and sort of resembles one. It has a Poppins-like capacity, but we’d advise you not to overstuff it, thus undermining its essential airiness. Tote Bag, $325, clarev.com

Throw a Do-Nothing Dinner Party

Throw a Do-Nothing Dinner Party

Haven’t you always wanted to be that host who makes it all look effortless? Lucky for you, some popular cook-at-home meal-delivery services are sending out party-ready kits built to feed a crowd. Ingredients arrive already portioned, and most recipes are doable in under an hour. Atlanta-based PeachDish collaborates with Southern chefs on the meals it delivers nationwide. Try Kevin Clark’s Comfy Chicken ($150 for up to 12 people, peachdish.com), a bounty of fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits and sausage gravy. Currently delivering in New York City (with plans to expand), Feastive focuses on seasonal meals with an international bent. To make the Korean-inspired Bulgogi Sliders (shown above, $210 for up to 7 people, feastive.com), simply sizzle the marinated beef for six minutes, set out potato buns, cucumber-chili pickles, sliced scallions, cabbage kimchi and spicy mayo, and let guests do the rest. —Kelly Michèle Guerotto

Score a Front-Seat Seat

David Urban

Score a Front-Seat Seat

For those weary of endless cineplex escalators, drive-in movie theaters can feel indulgent, particularly at the new Blue Starlite, just outside Austin, Texas. With space for just 30 to 50 cars, it bills itself as a ”mini” drive-in. The lineup favors throwbacks, like “Jaws” and “The Goonies,” and beyond the windshields, you’ll find fire pits, s’mores kits and local ales at the Cinema Saloon. If you’d rather dine in, so to speak, pre-order giant pickles and a brisket sandwich from the app and skip the snack-bar line. Other Blue Starlites are planned; for now, the only other location is a summer-only pop-up in Colorado’s Vail Valley. bluestarlitedrivein.com.—Kathryn O’Shea-Evans

Fly Blind

David Urban

Fly Blind

Who among us hasn’t spent nearly as much time planning a weekend getaway as actually being on it? Travel agency Pack Up + Go aims to reform obsessive-compulsive vacationers, not just by making all arrangements for three-day trips in the U.S., but by choosing the destination itself. You complete a short survey, specifying travel dates, a budget level, and interests (such as hole-in-the-wall restaurants, galleries, fitness), then Pack Up + Go books hotels, flights or trains, and suggests a detailed itinerary—but doesn’t share the info until your departure day. (A week beforehand they’ll email a weather forecast and recommend travelers pack, say, hiking boots or a swimsuit.) The only thing left to decide is what to read on the plane. Packupgo.com

Flicker Quicker

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Flicker Quicker

Romantic though it might seem, toting an oil lamp on a summer outing—with its stinky fuel, finicky wick and risk of setting your gingham spread aflame—is no picnic. Inspired by the diffuse glow of Japanese rice-paper lanterns, Danish design company MENU worked with Copenhagen‘s Norm Architects on the Carrie Lamp, lit by LEDs. With a detachable steel handle, opal-glass globe and five-hour, USB-rechargeable batteries, it provides brainless (and dimmable) outdoor ambience at its most modern. Designer Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen invokes the Scandinavian art of coziness that defined his own upbringing. “A big part of hygge is lighting, especially outdoors in the summer, sitting on a blanket on the beach or by a bonfire,” he said. “We thought it would fulfill the same need, and be much easier to use, if it was digital.” $150, store.menudesignshop.com —Sarah Storms

Savor the Sea From Your Sofa

Savor the Sea From Your Sofa

Nothing tastes more like summer than shellfish cooked clambake-style, in a fire pit dug on the beach, nestled between layers of seaweed. But let’s be honest, that’s a lot of effort. For less motivated seafood lovers, quality-food emporium Dean & Deluca has pared down the process. All the trappings of a proper clambake—two hefty lobster tails, two dozen mussels and clams, eight plump Gulf shrimp and plenty of baby potatoes to soak up the briny juices—arrive in a foil tin that can be popped right into the oven or onto the grill. Just turn up the heat and, presto, the true taste of the seashore without all the sand in your shoes. The kit feeds two people generously, but you can extend it to feed four in classic New England style with corn on the cob and a blueberry pie (store-bought, of course). Maine Clambake, $105 for about 2 pounds of seafood, deananddeluca.comKelly Michèle Guerotto

Loosen Up, On the Sly

Loosen Up, On the Sly

The latest style of shorts for men is comfort incarnate—but no one has to be the wiser

At Save Khaki United, a New York menswear store that sells its own line of casual, cotton basics, the most popular shorts go by the name “Easy.” Yet, easy to spot on the street, they are not. If you wear them with a T-shirt draping over the waistband, they fly under the radar, just another cotton twill pair, out for a stroll. What’s obscured—a guilty-pleasure drawstring waist—is the secret to the shorts’ success. “It’s just about being comfortable,” explained Save Khaki’s designer David Mullen.
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Spin For Your Supper

Spin For Your Supper

How could a special issue devoted to lassitude not include a Lazy Susan? With a tricked-out version of their solid-ash Memos table, Italian firm Giorgetti elevates the midcentury suburban turntable, which has long delighted children and saved diners the bother of asking for plates beyond their reach. The nearly 6-foot-wide piece, designed by Roberto Lazzeroni, features not only a bronze-colored rotating glass, but a diamond-shaped inset of gold calacatta marble that stabilizes the legs and adds a layer of style. $20,714, DDC, 212-685-0800, x124

Bask in Terminal Bliss

Steve Scott

Bask in Terminal Bliss

Can you bypass airport chaos without buying a premium-class ticket? Here's the insider way

Some years ago, after an overnight flight, I arrived at Moscow’s dreary Sheremetyevo Airport to face the usual scrum at passport control. Through my jet-lagged fog, I spotted an airport attendant effusively greeting a well-dressed man just behind me, and pulling him off the lengthy queue. I assumed the man was a visiting dignitary—until I learned that any schlub could buy himself the same high-status welcome.
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Know When To Use a Voice Assistant

Ellen Weinstein

Know When To Use a Voice Assistant

Amazon’s Alexa can help you swing into action, even when you’re just sitting around

For overwhelmed multitaskers glued to their smartphone screens, Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant has been a game changer—and it doesn’t take much to get hooked. Once you’ve experienced the convenience of casually asking a computer to do your bidding (“Alexa, play ‘This American Life’ ”), being forced to swipe and tap feels downright primitive.
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Discover the Thrill of Not Hunting

Discover the Thrill of Not Hunting

Trawling massive flea markets, like Brimfield Antiques Market in Brimfield, Mass., is a summer tradition. But lazy strategists can score vintage brass anchors, signal flags and patinaed wicker baskets without spending days pawing through endless stalls. Mate Gallery cuts through the clutter with its natty nautical finds. Shop online at mategallery.com, at its seasonal store in Montauk, N.Y. or its new Manhattan pop-up shop in designer Todd Snyder’s 26th Street flagship (pictured).

Play Catch the Lazy Way

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Play Catch the Lazy Way

If you’re seeking low-effort, fling-and-catch excitement, a boomerang may seem like the obvious choice—but most aren’t that simple to master. Not so this beginner-friendly model, designed by boomerang enthusiast Kendall Davis. Made of lightweight cedar, it can be propelled with minimal oomph, and thanks to its relatively short range and bolt-weighted center, it doesn’t require you to expend much effort perfecting your technique. With four wings (instead of two or three), this flyer is a relative cinch to catch upon its return. YardStick Boomerang, $10, kendalldavis.us

Charge While You Lug

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Charge While You Lug

Mayur Bhatnagar, co-founder of the year-old luggage company Arlo Skye, hopes to get away this summer to Panarea, a tiny island north of Sicily with only 300 residents. “That place is the antidote to ‘too much,’ ” said the Louis Vuitton alum. When designing their own carry-on, Mr. Bhatnagar’s team also steered away from excess, crafting a just-big-enough suitcase with a super-light aluminum-alloy shell that clamps shut—no need to wrestle with a zipper. Best of all, the Arlo Skye comes equipped with its own (removable) phone and tablet charger so you can fritter away the airport hours without crawling around in desperate search for an outlet. The Carry-On, $550, arloskye.com —Liz Logan

Make a Messy Bed

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Make a Messy Bed

Linen isn’t supposedto look fastidiously neat. The fabric evokes the insouciance of a rumpled character from a Graham Greene novel. That imperfection makes these Always Piper linen blankets handy as coverlets in summer, when making a bed with military precision appeals as much as wearing long johns. Maine designer Caitlin Mushial and her team stitch imported European linen into puckered one- or two-layer blankets that look purposefully wrinkled, provide comfort without smothering and ripple like the sea when you toss them on a bed. Left: Double Sided Linen Blanket in Blue (left) and Linen Blanket in Natural, from $235, kcolette.com —Daisy Price

Surf in the Breeze

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Surf in the Breeze

So you’ve settled into your poolside lounger with a fully charged laptop and plans to spend the afternoon perusing Instagram while comparison-shopping for used Karmann Ghias. An admirable goal. But don’t underestimate how stressful web surfing can be. To keep your cool when you chance upon a frenemy’s irksome humble brag, plug the Arctic Breeze Mobile Mini USB Fan into your laptop’s side. It provides a surprisingly forceful breeze, and the gooseneck design lets you aim the airflow where it counts. Don’t be intimidated by the whirring blades; the fan comes to a halt with the slightest touch. $9, arctic.ac

Enrich Your Robe

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Enrich Your Robe

When you’re in a robe, no one misunderstands your intentions. You’re off the clock, ready for inaction, dressed for maximum do-nothing-ness. But you shouldn’t throw your style standards out with the chore list. There is life beyond that tacky terry robe. Upgrade your lay-about look with Sleepy Jones’s more considered madras tie-on. It’s no less carefree than terry, but the rakishly cool plaid cotton makes you look vaguely Bond-like even if the only thing you’re saving is your strength. Robe, $298, sleepyjones.com

Eat Their Words

F. Martin Ramin/ The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Eat Their Words

When a hot kitchen is too oppressive to contemplate, reading great food writing from the comfort of a well-shaded hammock can conjure glorious meals. First published in Britain in 1981, Claudia Roden’s “Picnic” proceeds from the assertion “Everything tastes better outdoors.” Supported by fascinating historical context as well as personal recollections of picnics past from the author’s childhood in Egypt, recipes range from a tea served on the lawn to a feast of prawns, kebabs and other dishes in the style of the Anglo-Indian Raj. In “The Complete Book of Outdoor Cookery” (1955)—as much a snapshot of midcentury America’s romance with the outdoors as a practical handbook—Helen Evans Brown and James Beard map out wiener roasts, Hawaiian-style luaus, meals made in camps and trailers, and other feats of cookery set free from the confines of the kitchen. Perhaps the most transporting of all, Edna Lewis’s “The Taste of Country Cooking” (1976) immortalizes the way of eating and life in the farming community founded by freed slaves in the Virginia Piedmont where she grew up. “I loved walking barefoot behind my father in the newly ploughed furrow,” she writes, “carefully putting one foot down before the other and pressing it into the warm, ploughed earth, so comforting to the soles of my feet.” And we are right there with her.